The Courage of Billy Batson
by TheTearsOfAnAngel
Summary: Not everyone wants to play the hand Fate has dealt them. Billy Batson shatters the game altogether. A Young Justice Misplaced AU.
**What should have happened in Misplaced. I think that they set Captain Marvel up to do so much, and then fell flat. He had an important role as a hero, but afterwards, it wasn't acknowledged story gives the character more of a prime role, and emotional depth. Captain Marvel may be a bit OOC, but I'm basing all my information on him on the limited amount he was shown in Young Justice and my headcanons. The Young Justice show is the only DC thing that I know. I do not own anything. If I did people probably would have kicked me out or I would have lost everything due to my lack of organization and punctuality. And now I give you,The Courage of Billy Batson.**

Billy didn't know what to do. Uncle Dudley was gone. The League was gone. EVERY ADULT IN THE WORLD WAS GONE! He curled into a ball on the floor of his room, and began to cry. He rocked slowly back and forth, until the sobs that had wracked his body, slowed to a steady stream of tears. Billy Batson was scared. He stood up. He was going to find a way to bring them all back. He was going to save the world. Not as Cap. People were finally going to recognize the boy behind the cape.

Billy ran to the nearest zeta-beam. Even if the League was gone, the Team were all still under-age, so there was no reason for them to have disappeared. Unless it wasn't the adults that had disappeared, it was the people who others relied upon to protect them! No. He couldn't afford to think like that. The team would be there. He would help them. Billy had been considering quitting the League and asking to join the Team instead for a while now. This would be the perfect way to reveal himself to them! Filled with new-found hope and energy, Billy sprinted the last two miles to the zeta-beam.

He was out of breath by the time he reached the zeta-beam. He stepped into it and punched in the code to head to the Mountain.

"UNAUTHORIZED PERSON. PREPARE FOR VAPORIZATION." The mechanical voice of the beam spoke. Billy yelped and threw himself out of the phone booth, just as it exploded. Billy brushed the dirt and bits of phone booth dust off him as he lay on the ground.

"Well then," he said to himself, "I guess the beams don't recognize me when I'm not Captain Marvel." He sighed, "Guess I have to get there the old-fashioned way." Unbeknownst to the rest of the League, Billy did actually know how to drive. After finding out that Billy had become Captain Marvel, Uncle Dudley had taken it upon himself to make sure that his nephew knew how to drive, just in case anything were to happen where the young boy-turned-man would need to drive. He grabbed Uncle Dudley's car keys and started up the car

* * *

Fawcett City was by no means close to Happy Harbor. It took nearly 14 hours and Billy wasn't even driving close to the speed limit. If these had been normal circumstances he would never have been speeding, but if these were normal circumstances, _the ten year old wouldn't be driving a car!_

"Whoa. Take a deep breath, Batson." Billy often talked to himself when he needed someone to talk to, but there was no one he could talk freely with or at all. "You have this. Captain Marvel may have the Courage of Achilles, but Billy Batson has the Courage of Billy Batson!" He didn't feel much better after his mini pep-talk, but it had helped a bit. He looked around and realized that he had reached the Mountain. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get in.

* * *

Billy hadn't thought his plan very far through. He had pounded on the parts of the Mountain, where he knew the doors were to no avail. He was ready to give up when he realized that Captain Marvel might have a better chance at getting in.

"SHA-" he cut himself off. No! If he turned into the Captain, then he would be an adult and he might disappear! Billy was very close to becoming hysterical. He screamed. Louder than he ever thought he could. He screamed until his lungs gave out and he crumpled to the ground from lack of oxygen. He saw the fuzzy, green form of Miss Martian hovering in front of him, only moments before he passed out.

* * *

When Billy woke up he was in the Mountain med bay, strapped to a table. He knew he hadn't had any injuries worth strapping him down for and at first the boy was confused. He soon remembered the events that had brought him to be in the Mountain as Billy Batson. He tried to quickly sit up, but his restraints slammed him back down.

"Hey! Somebody! I'm awake!" he yelled for the Team, he figured that at least one of them would be watching him(probably Robin, the boy was really too nosy for his own good). "Hey!" What seemed like hours later(it had been thirty seconds)the Team finally walked in.

"How did you know people would be here?" Wally was the first to break the silence. THe Team were all in their uniforms and Billy figured that the simplest way to prove that he was really Captain Marvel would be to reveal that he knew their identities.

"Calm down, Wally." As well as proof, Billy's words were also an attempt to pacify the ginger boy. "I know you haven't had your pineapple juice today, but that's no reason to go yelling at kids. And I am not your errand boy. I have a life too." Billy turned to the rest of the Team. "I'm Captain Marvel." The small boy's words did not have the effect he had wanted. The Team burst out with yells and protests. Knowing his voice could never be heard over the din, he turned to Miss Martian and projected his thoughts in her direction. _Miss Martian?_ He tested to see if she was listening. When she responded to the affirmative, he continued, _If you read my mind, could you prove that I really am Cap?_ She nodded brightly at him. He felt her mental touch on his mind and gently guided it to his memories of the Team. She saw that he really was telling the truth and let out a shout in everyone's minds. The noise stopped almost instantly.

Miss Martian spoke, "Billy is telling the truth!" she exclaimed as she began to undo his bindings. The Team didn't make a move to help or hinder her.

"Why didn't you just come as the Captain?" Superboy's question was honestly rather stupid. Billy rolled his eyes.

"Because," he drawed, "The Captain is an adult, and I didn't want to risk being erased from existence, or whatever happened to the adults." The Team paused. Billy's explanation made perfect sense, but it was hard connecting him with the childish Captain they had come to know. He sat up.

"What's happening out there, and how can I help?"

Zatanna shook her head at Billy. "I've already found what happened. Five sorcerers have split the world into a dimension for children and one for adults. The Team is going to handle it. You can just stay here, Billy."

Billy fixed Zatanna with a cold glare, "I'm coming with you. I did not steal my uncle's car and drive it from _Wisconsin to Rhode Island_ to stay behind." The Team stared at him. Apparently they hadn't known that the ten year old boy had driven over a thousand miles.

The Team began to walk to the bioship at a signal from Aqualad. Billy sighed. He was going to have to find another way to follow them.

Aqualad looked back at him, "What are you waiting for? We are leaving." Billy leapt up joyfully and followed the Team to the ship.

* * *

They found only Klarion and Teekl at the site of the disturbance. Klarion was chanting at an odd gem, and when he saw the heroes he threw up a red force field to protect himself and the gem. The heroes' first plan of attack had been to hurt Teekl and force Klarion off of the mortal plane, but Klarion transformed Teekl into a giant saber-toothed beast. The Team(and Billy) struggled to defend themselves against the cat. Billy noticed Zatanna out of the corner of his eye. She had lifted the Helmet of Fate high above her head. She slowly lowered her arms to place the Helmet on her head.

"NOOOOOOO!" Billy yelled as he ran to her. He tackled her, and before anyone could react, Billy Batson slammed the Helmet of Fate on his own head.

* * *

When Billy opened his eyes he was in a cloud. _That was funny._ He thought. He hadn't remembered closing them. He saw an old man standing above him.

"Hello." he had no idea where he was, but he did remember common courtesy.

"Hello, Mr. Batson." The man replied, "I'm Kent Nelson." Kent Nelson! Billy had heard stories about this man! He was the most recent to be Dr. Fate! Well, except for him...he thought. Billy was very confused.

"When you put on the Helmet, Fate took control of your body." Mr. Nelson explained. "You are strange, Billy. Not many would willingly put on the Helmet of Fate."

Billy smiled, "Better me than Zatanna. She has so many people who would miss her. So much to live for." he sighed, "I don't." If Kent was surprised by this statement he didn't show it.

Suddenly Billy heard Fate's voice echo around him. "William Batson. I can sense your strong magic, but am unable to connect with it. Why is this?"

Billy hung his head, "Say Shazam." his voice was only a slight bit louder than a whisper. "I'm Captain Marvel."

He heard his own voice shout, "SHAZAM!" and transform. He could hear the fight, but not see it and Billy wasn't sure he wanted to. He felt his body still as the fight ended and heard Fate repeat the word to return him to the form of Billy Batson. Suddenly he felt the Helmet being slowly lifted from his head.

"Let it never be said that Fate does not have compassion." Fate's voice echoed.

Quickly Billy responded in his head. "I'll put it back on when we need you! Or even just to keep you company!"

* * *

Billy opened his eyes to see himself surrounded by the Team and League.

Wally gaped at him, "Fate let you go?"

Billy smiled a secret smile, "Let it never be said that Fate does not have compassion." The surrounding teenage heroes stared for a moment before smiles began to appear on their faces. They won! No one was lost! The partners ran and embraced their mentors. Billy stood awkwardly surrounded by the League members with no partners.

Wonder Woman finally spoke, "And who would you be?" she regarded him with none of her usual familiarity. Billy felt awkward, even though he was surrounded by those he considered friends.

"Can we talk about this at the Watchtower?" he blurted out, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't supposed to know about the Watchtower. Before anyone could do anything Wally ran over. He subtly placed himself as a barrier between Billy and the other Leaguers, a fact for which Billy was grateful.

"That would be a good idea. We can trust him." Although the Leaguers still didn't seen to trust Billy, they did trust Wally and were reluctantly willing to take Billy to the orbiting satellite.

* * *

Once on the Watchtower the League had called a meeting in which Billy would tell them who he was. Billy stood in front of his friends and colleagues(none of whom knew that fact) and began to speak.

"My name is Billy Batson, I live in Fawcett City and I'm ten years old. When I was seven a wizard granted me superpowers. I am Captain Marvel." The room erupted in an outcry. Only Batman remained in his seat. Billy could only think of one way to calm the room.

"SHAZAM!" Lightning streaked down from nowhere to strike Billy and transform him into Captain Marvel. The room became completely silent. Barely a breath could be heard.

Billy laughed without humour. "I know. I'm pathetic. What kind of ten year old's only friends are a dysfunctional group of adults that he spent three years lying to?" No one responded for a moment.

"How?" asked Black Canary, "How did you manage to conceal a thing like this from all of us." Billy opened his mouth, but Batman cut in.

"I knew."

Billy turned to look at Batman, "You knew." he laughed drily again. "Of course you knew. And you said nothing. Nothing!" Billy began to yell, "When you saw me struggling to juggle being a kid in school and the superhero life, you said nothing! I know you saw me crying in a Watchtower bathroom after some kids in school were picking on me and I didn't know where else to go. You saw me and you said nothing! You saw me trying so hard to be the hero you all wanted me to be. Trying to be the person you all wanted me to be. And you did NOTHING!" He turned to leave.

"Captain Marvel." Batman spoke.

Billy whipped back around, "I quit." he hissed. "I am done just being the immature hero you call in when there's no one left to call in. You left me as den mother to the Team for longer than any Leaguer."

"You liked it!" shouts of protest echoed through the room.

Billy glared at them, "Maybe I did, but did you ever ask? No! You just assumed. All you have ever done is prove time and time again that you don't trust me." Without another world, Captain Marvel stormed out of the room.

* * *

He stomped to the Zeta-beams and punched in the code for Fawcett City. He was stepping into the beam when a voice called him back.

"Billy! Wait!" He stepped out of the beam.

"What?" His fiery temper that had flared in the meeting had seemingly abandoned him now. He saw it was the Team and tried to put on a smile.

Kid Flash zoomed up to him, "Well, Billy, since you're actually a little kid we were wondering if um, you, uhh, wanted to, erm…"

Miss Martian decided to take pity on him, "Would you like to join the Team, Billy?" Billy's face was filled with conflicting emotions. Disbelief warred with hope and joy.

"Sh-sh-shazam." When he changed back into Billy, his eyes were filled with tears of joy. He ran to the Team and they gathered him in a hug.

"I've wanted that for a long time."


End file.
